A series on various historic and prominent figures and how would they see the world if they were photographers.
How would he present his untouched English countryside through a lens?
Constable‘s world was a world of the industrial revolution that changed every aspect of life and he was deeply concerned about what the future will bring to the country landscape. We can feel the nostalgia in his untouched English countryside paintings, mainly from Suffolk and Salisbury.
Unlike Turner he did not move to blend contrasts into a subtle abstraction, but stayed firm on the “realistic and naturalistic” view of nature ( unlike most of his contemporaries ) and perhaps most importantly his ability to put forward the experience of the moment. For example : The Valley Farm or Flatford Mill
In photographic terms this would mean that he would be specifically concerned with a specific moment in time ( either by an interesting formation of the clouds or/and and interesting condition of light )
It is important to note that Constable was always searching to include in his painting unique atmospheric effects as they were of upmost importance. They encapsulated the mood, atmosphere and structure of his work.
From a compositional side he would have a clear focus on a subject, a structure, an animal or a human and their place in the natural surroundings. This “focus point” plays an important part of the composition as it breaks the uniformity of trees and provides a point of interest.
As usually it is a fun experiment.